Trump urges US Supreme Court to limit judges' power to issue injunctions

With a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court - including three justices nominated by US President Donald Trump - his administration is seeking to limit judicial authority over his policies

President Donald Trump strongly criticised the US judiciary, urging the Supreme Court to restrict federal judges from issuing nationwide injunctions that obstruct his administration’s policies. His remarks come as legal disputes over his executive actions — especially on immigration — continue to escalate.

 

Since Trump’s return to office in January, more than 100 lawsuits have been filed against his policies, with some federal judges imposing nationwide injunctions. One such ruling has blocked his attempt to restrict automatic birthright citizenship.  

 

In a post on X, Trump said, "Unlawful nationwide Injunctions by radical left judges could very well lead to the destruction of our country! These people are lunatics, who do not care, even a little bit, about the repercussions from their very dangerous and incorrect decisions and rulings."

 

"STOP NATIONWIDE INJUNCTIONS NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," Trump further wrote in his social media post. "If Justice Roberts and the United States Supreme Court do not fix this toxic and unprecedented situation IMMEDIATELY, our country is in very serious trouble!"  

 

With a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court — including three justices nominated by Trump — his administration is seeking to limit judicial authority over his policies. On March 13, Justice Department attorneys formally requested that the Supreme Court curtail judicial blocks on Trump's birthright citizenship order, challenging three nationwide injunctions issued by federal judges in Washington state, Massachusetts, and Maryland.  

 

Trump’s latest remarks on the judiciary follow a recent public response from Chief Justice John Roberts. The president had previously called for the impeachment of a federal judge overseeing a case related to deportation flights for Venezuelan gang suspects. Judge James Boasberg had halted deportation flights for Venezuelan migrants. Trump retaliated by labelling Boasberg a "radical left lunatic" and called for his impeachment, accusing him of jeopardising national security.

 

Roberts pushed back by emphasising judicial independence, stating, "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision." He said that appeals, rather than impeachment, are the proper way to contest a ruling.  

 

While Trump views nationwide injunctions as a partisan weapon used against him, similar judicial measures have also affected past administrations. His predecessor, President Joe Biden, faced legal challenges that included a nationwide injunction against his $430 billion student loan forgiveness plan — an initiative ultimately struck down by the Supreme Court.  

 

(With agency inputs)